The Arrow of Fate
by howwasthefun-vee
Summary: Connor Rhodes knew that gunshots were common in Chicago, but an arrow? This sounded like something out of Skyrim. Especially since it was his father that hired the assassin that drew the bow. When Connor is shot with an arrow just outside of the hospital, what are his friends to do as the life of one of their friends hangs in the balance?
1. Chapter 1

**I know I have a lot of other incomplete stories! I'm really sorry about that. I've gotten hooked on Chicago Med and couldn't believe that there wasn't any fanfiction with whump for Doctor Rhodes. He's my favorite. You should really watch it. Look up Colin Donnell and you'll understand what I mean when he shouldn't be allowed to live. (Just kidding. He's too hot to die.) Anyway, I couldn't keep this idea to myself. There's a lot of ways I'm thinking of taking this, so let's see how it goes... (I did write this at one in the morning because I couldn't sleep.)  
Disclaimer: I don't own Chicago Med or any of the characters.**

Doctor Connor Rhodes just left his last patient, a young girl is appendicitis when he glanced at the clock. It was 3 in the morning. He needed to be back in the ER in 5 hours. He didn't even have night shift. He groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He was exhausted and hadn't been feeling good the past few days. It was just a headache, but in the past few hours, it had gotten worse. He could feel a cough coming on and knew he needed sleep and plenty of cough medicine. He suspected that this cold was brought on by stress. His father had been worse lately. Threatening to disown him, the whole shebang. Claire had expressed concerns for their father's mental state. Connor, not wanting to upset Claire, had said to try to set up an appointment with someone in the new psych ward, but their father was extremely stubborn and refused to talk to anyone.

Connor shook his head. It was too late, or early, for these kinds of family problems. He signed out and grabbed his bag, adjusting the strap. He was still in his scrubs, but couldn't be bothered to change. He'd just sleep in these and grab a clean pair at his apartment. Maggie smiled at him.

"You shoulda clocked out hours ago, hun." He gave her a tired smile.

"Well, ya know. One of my patients needed an emergency appendectomy and the parents wouldn't allow anyone to do the operation." Maggie smiled.

"Make sure you get some rest. I don't want to see you in here before 8. I know that's when you're supposed to be here, but you have a tendency to come in early." Rhodes smiled.

"I'll keep that in mind." He then turned and walked through the first set of doors, pausing to let a gurney past. It was hard not to run and help, but he knew Will could handle it. He stepped out of the final set of doors, and the first thing that registered was the freezing night air. He heard a faint swishing noise, and the second thing that registered was an arrow embedding itself in it's chest, cracking the glass behind him.

His eyes widened and his breathing quickened. He felt behind him and felt the point of the arrow protruding from his back. He was having trouble breathing and he needed to get the bleeding stopped, but he couldn't get his body to obey his commands. He knew he was going into shock as he collapsed onto the ground, bag sliding off his arm. He could hear someone coming out of the door, and shouts for help before he lost consciousness. His final thought before the blackness consumed him was a simple _Did it have to be an arrow?  
_

* * *

Will was having a nice break with a cup of steaming hot coffee in his hand. Night shift sucked, no matter what happened. Natalie had the night shift, covering for a friend. Helen was watching Owen for the night while she worked. They were talking quietly when their pagers went off. They got up, leaving their half empty coffee cups behind as they ran to the ER. They were surprised when Maggie looked absolutely panicked as she gestured to the front doors where there were several doctors surrounding a prone figure. As the duo approached, Will's heart jumped to his throat when he realized who the person laying on the ground. Natalie gasped moments after Will came to the same resolution. It was Connor.

Will spared no time approaching his friend. The doctors and nurses already around him moved out of the way, knowing he was one of the most experienced ER doctors in the hospital. Will's eyes almost bugged out of his skull when he saw the arrow sticking out of Connor's abdomen, right below the pectoral muscles. There was an oxygen mask on his face and the arrow was splinted in place. He had an IV in his arm and everyone was looking at him. He started shouting out orders as Natalie came behind him. She crouched down and gently stroked Rhodes' cheek, noticing the pinched expression of pain on his face. She spoke gently and quietly to Will, who barely heard her.

"Has he been given anything for the pain?" Will asked the doctors that set up the IV. The men shook their heads.

"Get him a bag of morphine right now! Then let's worry about getting him into the actual ER."

* * *

Connor's whole life was a world of pain. He could barely sense anything. He almost missed the complete and silent blackness that had surrounded him moments earlier. Almost. Anything was better than that blackness. It had been all consuming and lonely. However, this extreme pain and confusion wasn't much better. He could hear people yelling, and movement, but it was all almost drown out by the haze of pain over his mind. It was radiating out from his chest. Suddenly, a quiet voice cut through the pain like a knife through butter. He felt a soft stroke on his face, and the voice said in its beautiful tones.

"Has he been given anything for the pain?"

This caused more flurry, noise, and pain. The only thing that kept him grounded was the soft stroking on his cheek. Suddenly, it disappeared and Connor flailed. He felt like he was drowning and everything was spinning out of control. He felt himself slipping back into the blackness. His world exploded in pain as his body moved. His eyes cracked his eyes open and almost cried in relief as he saw the roof of the hospital he was so familiar with. Not the blackness that he was trying to fight off. He was being gently shifting onto his side.

They needed to cut some of the arrow so that he could lay flat on gurney. He heard the faint whirring of the same tool he had used on Russell. It hadn't seemed near as terrifying back then as it did right now. The arrow was kept still as the arrowhead sticking out of his back could be cut down. After about 50 seconds, but what felt like 50 years, he was laid flat on his back. He could hear the beeping of a heart monitor and the familiar shouting of doctors. Will's face swam into his vision. He was saying something, but Connor couldn't make it out.

Breathing was nearly impossible now. He was drowning in his own blood. He felt the arrow shift in his chest and had to keep from screaming. A fresh wave of pain swept over him, but he stayed conscious. Will was his vision now. His backboard moved onto the table. He screamed in pain as the arrow shifted again, more violently. Or at least he tried to scream. It sounded more like a wet gasp.

"I know that it hurts, Connor, but I need you to talk to me." It was Will. Rhodes was a doctor, so he knew what Will needed to know. He managed to choke out a few words.

"W- Wi... Will. Ar... arrow." He couldn't say anything else, as his mouth started to fill with blood, filling up his throat and streaming out the side of his mouth. Will cursed, and called out orders. He kept talking to Rhodes though. He tilted Connor's head to the side slowly to allow him to be breath through his mouth, adjusting the oxygen mask so that it wouldn't get in the way.

"Connor, Reese is going to run a couple lines and tubes. I'm going to have to put in a chest tube. You of all people know that this isn't fun. I need you to keep as still as possible. Nat will hold you in place if that's alright." He didn't wait for an answer as Natalie came over and kept Connor's head and upper body in place. He closed his eyes in preparation. His skin was quickly sterilized and he felt the spike of pain was the incision was made. He grimaced.

"Ok Connor. Here comes the hard part." The tube was pushed through his ribs and into his lungs. Rhodes tried to move and escape the pain, but Natalie kept him in place, not letting him move. As soon as that was done, more blood started to slip past his lips. Connor started to cough. He expelled air, but couldn't seem to get any he back in. Will was to him, asking him to take short and shallow breaths, but he was full on panicking. He felt like he was being torn apart from the inside. The arrow started shifting, upsetting the near perfect plug the shaft had on the wound, blood starting to flow around the arrow.

"We have 45 seconds until he bleeds out!"

"We need two more units of blood STAT!" Dark spots swam before his eyes. Orders were shouted as Connor slowly slipped into unconsciousness, the blackness finally consumed him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Second chapter! I just got a brand new laptop yesterday so I'll be able to update more frequently because I'll have more access to the computer. Shout out to Lilli89 for the awesome review and the PM. I know I have a ton of other stories that need to be updated and completed, but I really wanted to write another chapter. It's Doctor Rhodes, for heaven's sake. Here it goes. (P.S, go Broncos, for those in the US)  
Disclaimer: I don't own Chicago Med or any of the characters**

Connor slowly came into awareness, his world shrouded by drugs and pain. He couldn't remember what was happening. The pain seemed to radiate out from his lower chest and he heard someone talking softly next to him. The voice stopped as a man started talking softly. He couldn't make out what either one was saying, but they both sounded concerned. He squeezed the hand holding his, and the two voices fell silent. The man's voice cut through the silence.

"Connor?" It was Will. Connor tried to open his eyes, but they felt weighed down. He managed to get them open just enough to see Will looking at him. He turned his head slightly to see who was beside him. It was Sam Zanetti. He smiled at her before turning back to Will.

"Connor, do you remember what happened?" Rhodes tried to think, but he was coming up blank. He shook his head. Will looked down at his chart before turning back to Connor and Sam.

"You were hit by an arrow in the lower chest. It went right through your right lung and nicked your liver. You had just left the ER when it happened. We brought you in immediately. You were conscious and somewhat lucid at the beginning. We had to put a chest tube in because your right lung had collapsed. You had been coughed up blood and soon lost consciousness. Dr. Zanetti and I performed the surgery." Connor raised an eyebrow, managing to look incredulous despite the fact that he could barely keep his eyes open. Will rolled his eyes.

"I know I don't perform a lot of surgeries, but you were my patient. And Dr. Rhodes wasn't available." Will smirked as Connor gave a weak smile. Will continued with his report.

"As I was saying, Dr. Zanetti and I performed the surgery. We got the arrow out and managed to get all the internal bleeding stopped, but you crashed once on the table and another time about 3 hours ago. We weren't expecting you to be awake this soon."

"I've been going crazy. You have no idea." Connor smiled at Sam.

"Sorry... to keep... you waiting." He breathed out. He didn't notice that Will left, leaving the two alone. Sam kissed him.

"Never pull something like that again. And an arrow? How'd you manage that?" He shrugged with one shoulder. Who would even be shooting arrows at unsuspecting doctors? It was weird. Rhodes stiffened up when he remembered something.

"Claire..." Sam shook her head with disbelief.

"She knows. She can't come right now, but she will as soon as she can. Along with Russell. Don't worry. Your dad doesn't know." Connor nodded. There was a soft knock on the door.

"Come in." Natalie, Maggie, and Dr. Charles walked in.

"Hello Connor." Said Dr. Charles as Natalie and Maggie sat in the two vacant chairs.

"You're you feeling, sweetie?" Asked Maggie. Connor shrugged with one shoulder. He wasn't in a lot of pain because of the pain medication, but he felt crappy none the less. Natalie set a big bouquet of flowers on the table next to his bed.

"These are from the ER department. Reese is coming up soon. The trauma department also sent a bouquet. She went to grab it." Connor smiled at them, a sudden wave of exhaustion hitting him. His already heavy eyelids seemed to be getting heavier and heavier by the second, but he wasn't ready to sleep. He tried his best to stay awake, but no matter how hard he tried, he was asleep minutes later.

* * *

The next time he woke up, he was alone. There was no one in the room with him, and he felt even worse. He felt like he was burning up from the inside. The heat radiated out from his wound. He tried moving, to get more comfortable. That wasn't the best idea. His nerves ignited with pain. He groaned and stayed at still as possible. This seemed to make the pain recede somewhat. Breathing was getting harder, despite his nasal cannula supplying him oxygen. His face crinkled in discomfort.

Connor suddenly didn't want to be alone. He had made friends, and he would've thought that at least one of them would be there with him. He even had a girlfriend. She had been there earlier, but he still would think she'd be with him. He started to gasp. No oxygen seemed to be getting into his lungs. Not even his sister came. Not that he blamed her. He had left her. And he didn't have the best relationship with his so called friends. Maybe they weren't his friends after all. His father was probably right. Wasn't he always? Right before he had been shot with an arrow, (and really, an arrow?) his father had said that misfortune would come to people who disrespected their fathers. Connor was so wrapped up in his mind that he didn't notice when the door opened. He didn't notice the quiet conversation or the alarm going off. He didn't hear people calling his name. He just drifted back to sleep, never even opening his eyes.

* * *

After Connor woke up the first time, Zanetti had sat with him for 3 more hours. Natalie, Maggie, and Dr. Charles had stayed for about half an hour after Connor fell back asleep before they had to go back to their jobs. Claire arrived an hour after Sam left Connor's side. Maggie had seen her come in and directed her to Will, who was reviewing Connor's stats, trying to decide what to do next. Claire had come in tears. Despite her holding a grudge against her brother for leaving, she knew why he did it and didn't blame him. She just wished that he had taken her with him. She loved her brother, more than she'd ever loved her father. She was out of her mind with worry when she got the call. What are the chances that he'd been hit with an arrow? Her thoughts had went to her father, who had been having conversations with a man who always had a bow and arrow with him. Could Cornelius Rhodes have had something to do with this? She had no idea. All she could think of was making sure that her brother was OK.

When she reached Will Halstead, the doctor looked up and gave her a tired smile.

"Hello Ms. Rhodes. How's Russell?"

"He's coming in about half an hour. He took care of some stuff at the store so that I could come here as soon as I did. Where's Connor? How is he?" The smile disappeared from Dr. Halstead's face, leaving no sign that it had been there in the first place. Claire's heart leapt up into her throat.

"Come with me, Ms. Rhodes. I think you'll want to sit down" Dr. Halstead took her by the arm and led her to a small room with soft chairs.

"How is Connor? I need to see him." She started to stand, but Halstead stopped her.

"I apologize Ms. Rhodes, but we need to discuss his condition before I can allow you to see him. It is serious, and there's some suspicion as to why and how it happened. Chicago P.D is investigating as we speak. Detective Halstead will have to speak to you before you can go in."

"Why? Excuse me, what is going on here?"

"I'll let Detective Halstead give you more information, but the police currently think that Dr. Rhodes was targeted." Claire froze. If Connor was targeted, there was no doubt that it was her father that organized it. Their father had been unstable lately, and she had no doubt that he'd pull something like this. Right now, she couldn't care less. She wanted to see Connor _now._

"Fine, I'll talk to the detective. Tell me about Connor now. The sooner I can see him, the better." The doctor nodded in understanding.

"Dr. Rhodes' injuries are severe. I'm not going to try to give you false hope. However, it is still early, so there is hope. Dr. Rhodes has been better than we'd expect, given his current condition. He was conscious and lucid when we brought him in. He lost consciousness soon afterward however. He immediately went into surgery, which went as good as can be expected. He went into cardiac arrest once during surgery, but we got him back. He went into cardiac arrest again, about 7 hours ago. However, he should be fine now as his vitals are encouraging. The arrow went right through his right lung and nicked his liver. We were able to repair all the internal damage. He's mostly stable for now, but his temperature is a little high. Only by a degree or so, so it's not too serious. However, we are keeping a very close eye on him. Any questions?"

"Only one. Can I see him now?" Will sighed.

"First, you have to talk to the police. I'll let them in now if that's OK?" She nodded and the doctor opened the door, letting a man and a woman inside.

"Hello Ms. Rhodes. I am Detective Halstead and this is my partner. We need to ask you some questions."

"Of course. Anything that can help."

"Have you noticed anything off about your father lately?"

"Yes. In fact, I think he's to blame for all of this."

"You do?"

"Yes. He has been spending a lot of time in meetings with a man who always carries a bow and arrow. I don't know his name, but he was tall and had black hair. He had a Russian accent."

"Is there anything else you can tell us?"

"Other than the fact that it was most definitely my father, no. Can I see my brother now?"

"Of course. Dr. Halstead will lead you to him." The duo left the room and the doctor came back in.

"Let me take you to Dr. Rhodes now." Claire nodded and stood up, grabbing her purse and marched out of the room. They walked down the halls in silence. She noticed that they were going to the ICU. Dr. Halstead noticed her distraction.

"As I said, we're keeping a very close eye on him." They were silent until they reached the door. Dr. Halstead opened the door, letting Claire pass. She gasped, slowly walking toward the bed. The first thing she noticed were the beads of sweat dotted across his forehead and his face wrinkled in pain.

"Are you sure he's going to be alright?" She looked up from his face to see Will checking the monitors, a frown on his face.

"Dr. Halstead? What's going on?" He looked up.

"Something's not right here. Connor?" Will started calling his name as an alarm went off. Connor's temperature was through the roof. Will hit the call button and several doctors rushed in.

"Dr. Halstead! What's going on? Connor!" Claire was pushed out of the room by a nurse and the door was slammed in her face. She slid down one of the walls and put her head in her hands.

* * *

When Will walked into Connor's hospital room, he immediately knew there was something wrong. Connor should've been high up on Cloud 9, but his face was pinched in pain and he was sweating. Will went to check the monitors and he had just responded to Claire's question when one of the alarms went in. His eyes widened as he looked at Rhodes' temperature. How had they not caught this hours ago? He immediately pressed the call button and shouted for some help. He pushed aside the gown and gently pushed aside the bandages. The stitches were red and inflamed. He probed the wound and cursed. It was infected.

"I need some antipyretics and antibiotics immediately! And several ice packs now!" The nurse scrambled out of the room as Will did what he could to lower Connor's temperature before it got into the deadly territory. It was 104.6 degrees Fahrenheit. If it went up even a fraction of a degree, they were in trouble.


	3. Chapter 3

**Another chapter! I know, I should update my other stories first, but I couldn't resist. I am in love with this fandom and there's a new episode tomorrow, so yeah. I've been watching the other episodes excessively. It's a problem. Please send help.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Chicago Med or any of the characters**

Will had tried his best to get Connor's temperature down. The wound was infected. It was swollen, red, and puffy. They'd had to redo the stitches. Connor had a cooling blanket and they kept his room several degrees lower than what was normal in the hospital. His temperature had went down to 102.6 degrees F, but it still wasn't good. They had let Claire back in if she wore a mask to make sure Rhodes didn't get sick. His father was no where to be seen. No one had seen him since Connor had been shot. Claire had filed a missing persons report, but didn't seem to care if they found him or not.

Will didn't blame her.

When Will had first met Connor, he had not liked him in the slightest. He thought he was arrogant and pushy. He was used to getting his way. When he had found out he was Cornelius Rhodes' son, he thought they were mirror images of each other. He couldn't have been more wrong. As the two men spent more time together, Will began to think of him as a close friend. Connor wasn't arrogant, just confident in his skills. Sometimes he needed to be knocked from his high horse, but so did Will every once in a while. When he heard Claire's confession that it was their father, Will couldn't deny that there was something suspicious about all of it. He was sitting by Connor's bedside. Sam Zanetti was on the other side, clutching Connor's hand with dried tear tracks on her face.

Will had been surprised when he saw that they were together, but it explained why they worked well together. He was trying to find a way to decrease Connor's temperature and get the infection cleared up faster when his phone rang. He scrambled to answer it before it woke Zanetti. He pressed the answer button when he saw his brother was calling. He looked at Sam nervously, but she didn't stir. He sighed in relief and put the receiver to his ear.

"What's up?"

"We found Cornelius Rhodes." Will sat up straighter and put his clipboard down. Claire had left the room to take a coffee break.

"Do you want me to get Claire?"

"She already knows. She wanted me to tell his friends." Will nodded, but remembered that his brother couldn't see it.

"Where is he?"

"He fled the country. He left a note and made a change to his will about 2 weeks before Dr. Rhodes was attacked. He wants us to give his children his life insurance and what was assigned to them in the will."

"But he's still alive?"

"We think that he fled to Russia. He changed his will to say that if he's missing for more than 2 weeks, we are to presume him dead. He's been missing for almost 2 days. When the 2 weeks are up, we'll give his children the money and he'll be presumed dead. There's nothing we can do. And we had our JAG contacts look it over."

"Did he have something to do with the attack on Connor?"

"He caused it. He hired an assassin to take him out. The assassin's preferred weapon is a bow and arrow. We don't know who it is, but we're looking into it. When the assassination failed, Rhodes fled the country."

"He hired a contract killer to take out his own son?" Will couldn't believe it. Sure, Connor's father was a real tool, but surely he wouldn't stoop this far? He didn't know anything anymore.

"Rhodes is a real SOB, but what can ya do? I gotta go. I'll talk to you later. Save your friend." His brother hung up before he had a chance to answer, as per usual. Will sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He couldn't believe any of this was happening. He looked up when he heard Connor moving.

* * *

Connor had been floating right beneath consciousness for a while now. Half awake and half asleep. He was comfortable where he was, but he felt a little too hot. He was shaken from this limbo he was in when he heard Will talking. He sounded furious, sad, and concerned all at the same time. Connor started paying closer attention to what was being said.

"Did he have something to do with the attack on Connor?" Did who? Who were they talking about? It sort of sounded like his father, but he couldn't be sure.

"He caused it. He hired an assassin to take him out. The assassin's preferred weapon is a bow and arrow. We don't know who it is, but we're looking into it. When the assassination failed, Rhodes fled the country." Did Will realize that he accidentally put the phone on speaker phone? Connor was sure they were either talking about his father or sister and his sister wasn't crazy enough to try to murder him. At least, he hoped so. So they were talking about his father. His father tried to kill him? That was almost unbelievable. Almost.

"He hired a contract killer to take out his own son?" When you put it that way, their family really did seem messed up. Guess it is.

"Rhodes is a real SOB, but what can ya do? I gotta go. I'll talk to you later. Save your friend." The person on the other side hung up, leaving the room in silence. Connor shifted slightly, trying to get more comfortable. He opened his eyes slightly and saw Will looking at him like he was raised from the dead.

"Hey Will." He whispered. Will smiled at him and pointed to his side. Connor turned his head and looked at his girlfriend. Sam was sprawled out in one of the plastic chairs that weren't comfortable in the slightest with tear tracks on her face. She was passed out. It was then that he noticed that both Will and Sam were wearing masks. He gestured vaguely to his face.

"What's... what's the deal with the... the masks?"

"Your wound got infected, so we had to take preventative measures. You understand, right?" Connor nodded, already tired. He squeezed Sam's hand, but she didn't stir. How long had she been by his bedside? Will and Connor both looked toward the door as it opened. Claire walked through, already wearing her mask. She had her tablet out.

"Hey sis." He breathed out, barely more than a whisper. Claire froze and looked up.

"Connor!" She raced over and held his other hand. Will smiled and got up.

"I'll come and talk to you later." Connor nodded. Claire was holding his hand as if he'd slip away if she lessened her grip even a fraction. Claire looked like she'd received something that was sad yet happy at the same time. A paradox. That's the definition of their family, wasn't it? Sam was still passed out in the chair to his left.

"I heard out about Dad." Claire's smile melted off her face, revealing a glare that could've killed their father a million times over.

"I can't believe he'd do something like that! No- I can believe it. I just don't want to. I hate him!"

"He's going to be... declared dead in... less than 2 weeks."

"WHAT?!" Connor glared at her.

"SSHH! Sam's still asleep." Claire grimaced.

"Right, sorry." They sat in silence for a while before Claire got up and started pacing.

"Why are you doing that?"

"I'm pacing because what are we going to do now? Dad's supposedly dead but probably not really and he tried to murder you! Our whole live has changed in 2 days!"

"Not our whole life.

* * *

Sam had been asleep for their entire 5 minute conversation. Connor had fallen asleep mid sentence, and Claire was getting frustrated with all of this. How much was she supposed to deal with alone? Russell wasn't going to be able to make it for an additional 2 hours. He had been held up at the store, trying to tie stuff up with the fact that Mr. Rhodes was missing and Claire was at the hospital with Connor. She was alone and the only person she felt somewhat comfortable talking with passed out in a hospital bed after her own father tried to kill him. She hung onto what her brother had said.

They still had each other.

At least there was that. Connor had all his friends along with Sam and Claire got Russell and her own friends. The only thing different was that their father would no longer be there to drive the 2 siblings apart. She smiled. Things weren't so bad after all.


End file.
